"When Gay Talese's landmark profile, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," appeared in Esquire in April 1966, it marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of journalism. This was the birth of what came to be known as New Journalism - a narrative-driven style that blended rigorous reporting with literary techniques, placing the reporter's voice and observations at the heart of the story."
"Nearly 60 years later, the principles of New Journalism feel newly urgent, perhaps even revolutionary once more. As we near 2026, long-form journalists confront the encroaching presence of artificial intelligence in their craft. Many fret that AI bots will soon spin narratives rivaling those crafted by human hands. This tension was the focus of a recent conference where I delivered a keynote address in Bergen, Norway."
"The annual gathering, Fortellingens Kraft (The Power of Storytelling), convenes Norway's premier feature and long-form writers - a vibrant community bound by their passion for narrative journalism. Here, writers forge moods from intimate observations and emotional resonance with their subjects. As stories flickered across the screen, one after another, the room hummed with cinematic prose: snappy dialogue evoking film noir, vivid visuals that could seamlessly translate to a feature film or a five-part Netflix series."
New Journalism originated in the 1960s as a narrative-driven style blending rigorous reporting with literary techniques and centering the reporter's voice and observations. Contemporary long-form journalists face renewed urgency to preserve narrative craft as artificial intelligence begins producing competing narratives. Conferences of feature and long-form writers gather to reinforce techniques of intimate observation, emotional resonance, snappy dialogue, and vivid visual detail. Cinematic prose and immersive scenes create stories that can transform into film or series. Practitioners view the human storyteller's 'super human' observational touch and ethical judgment as essential to distinguish work from algorithmically generated narratives.
Read at Poynter
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